Next Generation Sequencing of GATC Biotech AG Accredited by German DAkkS

GATC Biotech customers can expect highest quality standards for Next Generation Sequencing projects from official accreditation

Konstanz, Germany, December 3, 2012 / B3C newswire / – Being the first in Europe, the Next Generation Sequencing Laboratories of the Constance Genome and Diagnostics Centre has been accredited according to ISO 17025 from the national accreditation body for the Federal Republic of Germany (DAkks). The independent governmental institution has acknowledged the high quality standard of the sequencing service on technology platforms Illumina HiSeq and Roche GSFLX sequencing.

“As an accredited service provider we assure our customers the latest state-of-the-art standards in our methods, technologies and data quality at all times. This is especially important to our customers from the industry or diagnostics. A reliable and continuously high quality of the analysis service is of great importance to them. The accreditation allows all customers to compare the quality of service providers on the international sequencing market”, explains Dr. Marcus Benz, COO of GATC Biotech AG.

“While inspecting the laboratories, we met a very qualified and motivated team that has developed a high competency for the complex analysis. Apart from the staff and the excellent equipment, the LIMS system has to be highlighted. This in-house developed software system allows a wide monitoring of the processes and contributes especially to internal quality management”, says the DAkkS expert.

Since June 2012, the accreditation according to ISO 17025 has been official and has been confirmed by extensive audits. The Genome and Diagnostics Centre of GATC Biotech in Constance meets essential requirements for the competence of analysis and calibration laboratories such as DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025, DIN EN ISO 9001 and all further conditions. The compliance of standards is monitored by the DAkkS regularly.

About GATC Biotech

GATC Biotech is Europe’s leading service provider of DNA sequencing. For over two decades the company has offered sequencing and bioinformatics solutions for single samples, transcriptomes and regulomes, up to whole genomes. GATC has sequenced more than 5 million samples, ten thousands of bacterial, plant or other whole genomes as well as hundreds of whole human genomes for its more than 10.000 academic and industrial customers worldwide.

GATC Biotech offers true multiplatform sequencing using all leading sequencing technologies in its own labs. GATC´s acknowledged bioinformatics solutions allow high-end data analysis for its customers in pharmaceutical, diagnostic, chemical or food industries as well as in academics. As an Agilent and Illumina Certified Service Provider, GATC enables full compliance with latest state-of-the-art standards. GATC acts as a supplier for the ICGC, the International Cancer Genome Consortium.

GATC´s subsidiary LifeCodexx emphasizes the development of clinically validated molecular diagnostic tests and offers a risk-free alternative to common invasive examination methods such as amniocentesis.